


I Know What You Are, Baby

by VeryFckingAmusing



Series: Roma University [1]
Category: Spartacus Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Background Relationships, But mostly Castus-centric, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-03
Updated: 2013-10-07
Packaged: 2017-12-28 07:37:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/989441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeryFckingAmusing/pseuds/VeryFckingAmusing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castus is thirsty, Auctus has some issues and Pietros is a furious Nagron shipper.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lamborghini, Mercy, Castus is so thirsty

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Womanizer - Britney Spears

  
"I think I'm in love." Castus announced solemnly as he sat down to lunch.

  
Nobody seemed too surprised.

  
"No, seriously," he enthused, "I know I say that a lot but this is the one."

  
"Mm hm," Pietros patted his hand, "We're happy for you."

  
Castus scowled, "You guys are assholes. Why don't you take me seriously?"

  
"Sorry, 'The Castus Who Cried Monogamy', excuse us if we _don't care_." Auctus growled, "You need to stop abusing that word."

  
"Monogamy?"

  
"Love! You just say you're in love with them so you can justify breaking their hearts with 'Oh, I swear, it wasn't just a fling, it was real, I don't know where it went wrong!'."

  
Castus blinked and a tense hush fell over the table.

  
"Ouch." Pietros murmured.

  
"Yeah, jesus Auctus, bit harsh..." Chadara agreed.

  
"Whatever." Auctus rolled his eyes.

  
Castus took a preparatory breath and nodded once, "Well, thank you for being honest."

  
Barca groaned at his clipped tone, "Don't do this, guys, not today."

  
Pietros nodded, "Yeah. Auctus, don't take your frustration out on us. Castus..."

  
Castus narrowed his eyes and lifted his chin defiantly and Pietros sighed.

 

"Just... just tell us about this new one."

  
Castus grinned, "He's gorgeous-"

  
"He?" Chadara perked up, "I thought you were off guys."

  
Castus shrugged, "Temporary hiatus. Call this guy my awakening. Seriously, he's a ten. Twelve, even."

  
"What's his name?" Barca asked.

  
Castus hesitated to general groaning.

  
"Oh, what? What?" he snapped defensively, "As if none of you have ever admired from afar. In fact, I did more than that, we had a whole conversation. We just didn't get to names. But he's really great. He's like... clever, y'know? Like, he makes witty jokes and he called me out on my flirting. Felt good."

  
Auctus broke his silence with a grunt, "And here I thought you only went for the stupid ones so as not to bruise your ego."

  
"Auctus! Stop!" Barca snapped, slapping away the middle finger that Castus sent over the table.

  
Pietros ignored the exchange and leaned over the table, "He actually sounds great."

  
Castus nodded enthusiastically, "I'm definitely going to ask him to Chadara's party next weekend, Chadara, if that's okay with you?"

  
She shrugged and nodded, "Sure. As long as you don't ignore me all night."

  
"I just wish I knew his name..."

  
"Describe him, maybe we know him," Pietros suggested.

  
"I dunno, I don't think I've ever seen him around campus before. I just ran into him at the library, we were both getting lectured on late returns," he smiled.

  
Chadara rolled her eyes and giggled, "It's like you're soulmates!"

  
"He's short-ish. Like, a little under my height."

  
"So, tiny." Barca confirmed.

  
"Average." Castus corrected, "He's got long black hair, like shoulder length. And huge eyes. They're like, 40% of his face. And an accent, like... Middle Eastern, I guess. Something exotic."

  
"You mean Nasir?" Chadara suggested to a table of hisses and sympathetic tsks.

  
"Nasir..." Castus repeated dreamily and then frowned, "What? What? What's wrong with him? Is he straight, what is it?"

  
"No, no, he's gay..." Chadara said carefully, "Just... he has a boyfriend."

  
Castus exhaled and shrugged his shoulders, "Oh, that's not a problem, that's an obstacle."

  
Barca, at least, chuckled. Chadara looked a little uncomfortable, Auctus was almost grinning at him and Pietros looked uncharacteristically stony. Castus threw his head back and groaned.

  
"Oh my god, guys, what is it? Is his boyfriend in the mafia, why are you guys acting like this?"

  
"His boyfriend's name is Agron and they're very happy together, actually." Pietros snapped.

  
Castus thought for a moment, "Oh, Agron Jäger, Spartacus's friend?"

  
The table nodded.

  
He scoffed, "He's a jock fucker? Oh well, nobody's perfect. But it's okay, he's clearly too smart for an asshole like that. I'll just be his friend for now, wait til his done with that douchebag and swoop in for the kill,"

  
He grinned winningly but was met with a glare on Pietros's face unlike any he'd seen before.

  
"You're a fucking class act, Castus, you really are," he shook his head slowly, speaking in a low and dangerous voice, "Auctus was right. You live for your own pleasure and you really don't give a fuck about who you hurt. Class fucking act."

  
Castus and the rest of the table watched in stunned silence as he collected his bag and his empty soda can and stood up.

  
"I hope someone hurts you the way you hurt them. I really do." he said, "Then maybe you'll grow up and realise the world doesn't revolve around you and your dick."

  
And with that, Pietros turned on his heel and stormed out of the cafeteria. Castus couldn't even muster anger, still reeling from the verbal sucker punch. He blinked around at his friends. Chadara looked impossibly more uncomfortable than before and Barca hadn't turned around from watching the doors slam shut. Auctus was glaring squarely at the table, hands clenched in fists. Not one of them met his gaze. He felt too hot even in the comfortable air conditioning and cleared his throat.

  
"Um... I'll see you guys later," he mumbled, gathering his own things.

  
Nobody said anything. He barely contained breaking into a sprint as he made for the opposite exit with his head low and his tail between his legs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading guys, love ya'll!!


	2. Douchebag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castus discovers something sinister about himself.

Castus was embarrassed. He blew off his afternoon lecture in favor of locking himself in his room and pacing tracks into the carpet. Pietros's words rang through his mind on repeat. He turned his music up loud to try and drown them out, but when the lecture finally stopped, he was assaulted with images of his friend's furious face. He growled, shutting off the music and vaulting head first onto his bed.

  
"Fuuuuck," he groaned into his pillow.

  
He was perfectly content to let himself drift off to sleep like that until his phone started vibrating in his pocket. The caller I.D read 'Barca'. He hesitated. Barca was most likely calling to chew him out about sending his boyfriend into a rage, which he absolutely didn't want to hear at the moment. Although since he had caused the aforementioned rage, he felt he owed Barca the opportunity. Eventually, with a self-loathing, humorless scoff, he decided to do one decent thing that day and answer.

  
"Hey," he said carefully.

  
Mercifully, the first thing he heard wasn't a roar.

  
"Hey," Barca answered, surprisingly calm and sounding more matter-of-fact than anything, "You alright?"

  
"Uh, yeah," he said, "Sorry about... well. Is Pietros okay?"

  
"All good." Barca said, "Pietros's fine, he's glad he said it."

  
Castus sighed, "I kind of am, too. I just wish he hadn't done it in front of everyone."

  
Barca was silent for a moment and Castus could practically hear the judgemental stare.

  
"You had it coming." he said simply, "We've all been saying it to you for months."

  
Castus had to admit he was right.

  
"Yeah, I know. I just always thought you were having a go at me."

  
"We were," Barca actually sounded sympathetic at that point, "We're your friends, we're on your team no matter what you do. You just struck a chord. Nasir's a good friend of Pietros's. I don't really know the story but I know the guy went through some rough shit a while back before he started dating Agron."

  
Castus remembered the initial reserved demeanor of the guy from the library and the scar running over his eye, bissecting his eyebrow, and sucked in a breath.

  
"He'll cool down," Barca said after a pause, "Pietros. But he won't apologise. Or so he claims."

  
Castus shook his head, "He doesn't need to. I'll do it when he feels like talking to me."

  
He let his head fall into the hand that wasn't holding the phone and groaned loudly.

  
"It's just..." he continued, appreciative of Barca's quiet approach, "I'm trying to figure out when I went from ironic douchebag to legitimate douchebag. I honestly had no idea until today. I just kept thinking, y'know, 'It's okay because I'm different'... But I'm not! Not anymore..."

  
"I don't think you could really, truly hurt someone," Barca mused, "I think you'd know where to draw the line. But yes, I guess you've been careless. You actually said 'friend-zone' once last week."

  
Castus moaned, "I mean, what kind of guy says that shit, 'I'll act like his friend then steal him from his boyfriend'? That's fucked up!"

  
Barca scoffed, "I'd kick your arse if you were anyone else."

  
"Do it anyway." Castus mumbled.

  
He laughed, "I'll keep that in mind if you get worse. But I think you'll be fine. You know now."

  
Castus nodded, "Yeah. But now that I know, I've got the clarity to be embarrassed about it. Seriously, 'friend-zone'?"

  
"Yep, 'friend-zone'." Barca confirmed solemnly.

  
"I'm a douchebag." Castus agreed, "Is Pietros around? I want to apologise."

 

Barca hesitated, "Probably best to let it cool. He's still pretty pissed. I had to beg him not to call and tell Nasir about the whole thing."

  
He hissed as if burned, "Thanks, man."

  
"No problem." Barca paused again and Castus let him gather his thoughts, "Look, Castus... I don't want you to think you're a bad guy... You know? Because you're not. We all go through phases. Fuck... Lord knows I sure did."

  
Castus was silent as he remembered Auctus's face when Pietros blew up earlier. He didn't know the full back story, all three parties involved were rather closed off about it, but he knew Auctus must have been burned. He nodded even though Barca couldn't see.

  
"I... Thanks," he repeated.

  
Barca cleared his throat awkwardly and said, "Well, anyway," and Castus had to laugh.

  
They said goodbye after that and Castus felt a little better. He picked himself up off his bed and stretched his back. He decided tomorrow he'd make an apology crawl to his nearest and dearest, all those that had had to suffer through his douchebag phase over the past few months. He'd finish with Pietros and make some grand gesture he hadn't thought of yet. Tonight though, he needed a smoke. Or five.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, ya'll! Watch this space, because I've decided to make this a part of a University-verse fic series featuring all your favorite characters and multiple different storylines. Much love!! xx

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! Just FYI, this isn't a 'Castus is a one dimensional jerkface' fic, he's just young and foolish. Don't worry, I love him as much as you guys, he's just got some self-discovery to do! <3


End file.
